Peyton Gray is back with a Major League Baseball organization.
The 2014 Columbus East graduate, who spent this summer playing for the Independent-League Milwaukee Milkmen, has signed with the Kansas City Royals.
Gray had played in the Colorado Rockies organization in 2018 and 2019, mostly with the Class A Boise Hawks. He was released this February, about a week before Spring Training was to begin.
The Milkmen signed the 25-year-old Gray in June, and the right-handed pitcher proceeded to light up the American Association. He did not allow a run in 32 innings, going 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 56 strikeouts in the regular season to earn American Association Relief Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors.
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Gray helped Milwaukee beat Sioux Falls 4-games-to-1 in the championship series earlier this month to win the American Association title. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder spent most of the season as the Milkmen’s closer, appearing in 30 of the team’s 60 regular-season games, and closed out the final game of the championship series.
The six-team American Association was dotted with former major league players this year. Milwakukee featured six former big leaguers, including five pitchers.
